Collaborative Research: A Cultural Shift in Computer Science: Introducing Computation through E-Textiles

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the University of Colorado at Boulder, proposes a project to introduce computation through e-textiles. Computer science in the United States is an overwhelmingly male discipline. Many of the the crucial factors in this gender imbalance are cultural; that is, the culture that has grown up around computer science has a variety of attributes that appeal more to males than females. In response, this project seeks to design an alternative cultural pathway into the subject -- a pathway that does not purport to change or even implicitly criticize the existing CS culture, but rather seeks to provide a very different culture through which new populations (and especially females) can become fascinated with computing. Specifically, this project will develop and disseminate tools for engaging people in computing through the medium of fabrics and electronic textiles (or e-textiles). The work will build upon ongoing efforts to create accessible, powerful tools and materials that allow users to design and build their own programmable interactive fashion. The types of projects that users undertake within this alternative culture of computer science are rich in content, but refreshingly nontraditional: they are tangible, colorful, dramatic, richly interactive, and beautiful. This project proposes to encourage the growth of this new culture via two complementary avenues of work: the development of a visual programming environment for the LilyPad Arduino (a toolkit developed by the PIs that enables people to build e-textiles) and the development, dissemination, and evaluation of an "E-textiles in-a-Box" kit for educators. This kit will be disseminated through the large network developed by the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) and its effectiveness will be assessed by NCWIT's social science team. These efforts are crucial next steps in engaging a broad audience in e-textiles and -- via this engagement -- a new and diverse audience in computing.